A Sri Lankan migrant was found dead near Lithuania’s border with Belarus, an NGO has reported. Law enforcement have opened an investigation.
The man was discovered back in August by a nature watcher who spotted the body in a river in Buivydžiai municipality.
Read more: Lithuanian cabinet endorses controversial migrant pushback legislation
The NGO Sienos Grupė (Border Group) posted on Facebook on Wednesday that this may be the first death of an irregular migrant in Lithuania’s territory.
“What we feared has become a reality. This will be the first confirmed case of a migrant dying in Lithuania’s territory. Our thoughts are with his family,” the NGO said.
The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that a Sri Lankan citizen was found dead.
“The pre-trial investigation to establish the cause of death is ongoing. The deceased found in the River Neris was identified as a 32-year-old Sri Lankan national whose last place of residence was the United Kingdom. The investigation found that the death was not violent,” the prosecution service told BNS.
It refrained from giving any more details, saying this could compromise the probe.
Giedrius Mišutis, spokesman for Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT), has told BNS that the service has not been officially informed about this case, adding that the investigation is handled by the police.
Read more: Migrants from Cuba, Syria, Iraq sue Lithuania over rights violations
The remains were found in an area several kilometers from the border with Belarus by the River Neris, he said.
“The body was found in Lithuania’s territory but we cannot make any conclusions yet as we need to take the flow of the river into account,” Mišutis said.
In his words, the river un that area is shallow enough in summer for people to be able to cross it. No attempts to cross the border have been recorded in that area.
The Interior Ministry has commented to BNS that the pre-trial investigation into the incident is being carried out by law enforcement authorities, prosecutors and the police. The ministry has no official data or information about the case, it added.
In recent years, an upsurge in irregular migration has been observed across Lithuania's border with Belarus. Vilnius has accused the Belarusian government of trafficking migrants, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, in order to exert pressure on the EU. Several thousand migrants crossed into Lithuania before the authorities instituted pushback policies, drawing criticism from rights groups and international organisations.
There have been several known cases of migrant deaths on Poland’s border with Belarus. Lithuanian authorities until recently insisted they knew no such cases on Lithuania’s territory.
Several migrants have lost their limbs due to freezing at the border this winter.
Read more: Third migrant loses leg to cold after crossing into Lithuania
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
